Tank washing apparatus



Dec. 11, 1956 l. P. PEDRICK 2,773,721

TANK WASHING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 8, 1955 2 Sheeis-Sheet 1 Ill! "6 FIG. I. I08

I02 INVENTOR.

IRIS/NEE P. PEDRICK UWM M ATTORNEYS United States Patent TANK WASHING APPARATUS Irenee P. Pedrick, Wynnewood, Pa.

Application February 8, 1955, Serial No. 486,825

6 Claims. (Cl. 29962) This invention relates to tank washing apparatus. The apparatus in accordance with this invention has utility, for example, in washing tanks of the kind used on trucks and in railroad tank cars and oil barges for transporting liquids such as, for example, milk, oil, etc.

By way of illustration, the cleaning of tank trucks and railroad tank cars has heretofore been largely accomplished by hand. The washing apparatus heretofore available for this purpose has been expensive, cumbersome and costly from the point of view of the labor involved.

in accordance with this invention, there is provided tank washing apparatus which can be inserted 'on the end of a hose through a manhole in the top of the tank and which will provide jets of water directed to all parts of the interior of the tank to effect a thorough cleaning thereof.

The apparatus in accordance with this invention is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and is light enough to be readily handled in use.

It is therefore the broad object of this invention to provide apparatus suitable for the washing of the interior of a tank.

It is a further object of this invention to provide tank washing apparatus which can be secured onto the end of a hose for lowering into the interior of a tank to be washed.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide tank washing apparatus which will provide a jet of Water which will cover all the interior surfaces of the tank automatically.

It is a further object of this invention to provide tank washing apparatus which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which is light enough in its construction so as to be readily handled in use.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent on reading the following description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tank washing apparatus in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the essential elements of the tank washing apparatus of Figure 1.

As shown in the figures, a tank washing apparatus 2 in accordance with this invention has a support 4 in the center of which there is mounted for rotation a conduit 6. Conduit 6 has a straight portion 8, a 90 turn portion 10 and an end section 11. Turn portion 10 is threadably secured to straight portion 8 at 12 and to end section 11 at 13. Conduit 6 is mounted for rotation in support 4 by a ball bearing 14. Bearing 14 is retained in position by a pressed fit and by set screws 16 in support 4. Portion 8 of conduit 6 has a shoulder 17 which engages hearing 14.

Conduit 6 is provided with openings 18 which open into a hollow portion 20 of support 4. Hollow portion 20 of support 4 is provided with water by means of pipes 22 and 24 which are threadably secured to support 4 as shown at 26 and 28. The upper ends of pipes 22 and 24 are threadably secured to a T section30 which has a threaded portion 32 adapted to be connected to a hose (not shown).

A plug 36 is threadably secured to conduit 6 at 38. Plug 36 is provided with a square opening 40 which is engaged by a squared end 42 of output shaft 43 of reduction gear box 44 driven by air motor 44A. Shaft 43 passes through an oil retaining ring 46. Reduction gear box 44 has a flange 48 mounted on base 50 whichin turn, is supported by support 4, base 50 having a flange 52 which rests on the top of support 4. Motor 44A and reduction gear box 44 act to rotate conduit 6 clockwise as viewed in Figure 2.

A bushing 54 which may be, for example, a carbongraphite bushing and a packing ring 56 are interposed between portion 8 of conduit 6 and motor base 50. A second packing ring 58 is interposed between portion 8 of conduit 6 and support 4. Metal retaining rings 60 and 62 are biased against packing rings 56 and 58, respectively, by a compression coil spring 64.

Washing apparatus 2 is provided with a spray head 70 which has a rotatable member 74 mounted for rotation on conduit 6 by a ball bearing 76. Bearing 76 is secured in a cutout portion 78 of member 74 by a pressed fit and by set screws 79 and abuts against a shoulder 80 in portion 11 of conduit 6. A plug 82 is secured to rotatable member 74 by threads shown at 83.

A bushing 84 which may be, for example a carbongraphite bushing is interposed between portion 11 of conduit 6 and plug 82. Packing rings 86 and 88 are interposed between portion 11 of conduit 6 and plug 82 and member 74, respectively. Metal retaining rings 90 and 94 are engaged by a coil compression spring 96 which forces these retaining rings against rings 88 and 86, respectively.

Rotatable member 74 is provided with a pair of opposed openings 100 which are adapted to supply water to opposed nozzles 102 and in turn are supplied through openings 101 in end section 11. Each nozzle 102 has a disk 104 with a central opening 105 and mounted in cutout portion 186 in member 74. A retaining member 108 has an outwardly diverging opening 110 and is threadably secured to member 74 at 112 to retain disk 104 in place.

Rotatable member 74 is provided witha collar 114 of resilient material such as, for example, natural rubber or a synthetic rubber such as neoprene or a resilient synthetic resin such as polyethylene. Collar 114 has a chamfered face 116 which is adapted to be engaged by a key 118. Key 118 is secured to the bracket 120 on support 4 by means of a screw 122 which passes through a slot 124 in key 118 and engages a threaded opening 126 in bracket 120. As shown in the figures, there are two brackets 120 spaced apart. Only one of these brackets has a key 118 secured to it. If it is desired to index the spray head 70 at a faster rate, then a key may be added to the second bracket 120 and, if desired, additional keys may be placed on additional brackets mounted on support 4.

Operation In operation, the washing apparatus 2 is secured to a hose which will supply hot water and the hose together with the washing apparatus 2 is lowered into the interior of a tank normally through a hatch in the top of the tank. The hose is secured to hold the apparatus 2 suspended within the tank preferably about midway between the top and bottom of the tank. Hot water, alone or mixed with a detergent, is then passed through the hose into the T 30 and through pipes 22 and 24 into the interior of support 4. It then passes through openings 18 into conduit6 from whence it passes through openlar 114, causes head 70 to be rota'tedslightly in order to permit the disengagement of collar-114 from key 118. When not engaged by key 118, spray head 70 is held from, rotating by the frictional engagement With packing rings 86 and 88.

The rotation of both conduit'6 andspray head 70 providesfor a very complete coverage of the surfaces of the interior of the tank. The control of rotation by the motor 44A permits the concentration of the cleaning jets for a sutficient period of time to insure thorough cleaning of each increment of surface area.

It is not desired to be limited except as set forth in the following claims. 5 Whatis claimed is:

' 1. Tank Washing apparatus comprising a support, a conduit carried by said support and mounted for rotation, means to rotate said conduit, a spray head mounted for rotation onsaid conduit on an axis substantially at right angles to the axis of rotation ofthe conduit, a nozzle on said spray head lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to theraxis of rotation of the spray head, said spray 7 head having a resilient collar, key means mounted on said support and adapted to intermittently engage said collar angles to the axis of'rotation of the conduit, a pair of i tently engage said collar to-index said spray head on its axis a predetermined amount for each 360 of rotation of said conduit.

V f4 v s 3. Tank Washing apparatus comprising a spray head having a nozzle,'means to rotate said spray headinjone plane, a resilient rubber collar secured to said spray head,-

means to intermittently engagesaid collar to index said spray head to rotate said nozzle in a plane substantially perpendicular to said first mentioned plane and a predeterminedarnount for each 36 0" of rotation of the spray head in the first mentioned plane. V

4. Tank washing; apparatus "comprising a spray head having a pair of opposednozzles, means to rotate said spray headin one plane, a resilient rubber collar secured to said spray head, means to intermittently engage said collar to index said spray head to rotate said nozzles in I a plane substantially perpendicular to said first mentioned plane and a predetermined amount for each 360 of rotation of the spray head in the first mentioned plane.

5. Tankwashing apparatus comprising a support, a conduit carried by said support and mounted for; rotation, means to rotate said conduit, ,a spray head mounted for rotation on said-conduit, on an axis substantially at right angles to the axis of rotation ofthe conduit, a nozzle on said spray head lying inv a plane substantially, perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the spray head, said spray .headhavinga resilient rubberrcollar, key means mounted on said support, and adapted to intermittently engage said collar to indexsaid spray head on its axis a predetermined amount for each- 360 of rotation of said conduit.

6. Tank washing apparatus comprising a support, a conduit carried by said support andmounted for rotation, means to rotate said conduit, a spray head mounted for rotation on said conduit on an axis substantially at right angles to the axis of rotation of the conduit, a pair of opposed nozzles on said spray head lyingin a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the spray head, said spray headlhaving a resilient rubber collar, key means mounted on said support and-adapted to intermittently engage said collar to index said spray head on its axis a predetermined amount for each 360 of rotation of said conduit.

' References Cited'in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Suetterle Sept. 20, 1898 Butterworth Oct. 13, 1925 

